The Divine Maiden's Bargain
In the dead of night, Cheon-yeong's quarters stood nearly empty. The other Il-yeong kept to their own residences, and Cheon-yeong rarely accepted attendance from anyone but Ji-suk. Men ordinarily stood watch in pairs, but Yang Ho-gun's escape had forced them to reinforce the perimeter elsewhere — for the moment, there was no one at all.
"..."
"..."
"..."
That was how it should have been. So what were these two idiots doing here?
Ji-suk's eyes narrowed to slits at the two men she'd run into in the middle of the corridor. They had slapped on clumsy false beards, jammed on helmets of unknown origin, and even strapped themselves into armor — but there was no mistaking them. Yang Ho-gun and Kang Geon-bok.
Ji-suk stared them down in silence. Yang Ho-gun cleared his throat.
"Well. This is the Divine Maiden's residence, and there wasn't a soul standing guard, so we thought we might... volunteer our services..."
"The Divine Maiden is under the Spirit's protection. No one would dare lay a hand on her."
"...Is that so?"
"Wouldn't it be?"
Ji-suk clutched her chest at Kang Geon-bok's vacant question, then dragged the two of them into the nearest empty room.
"I told you to go back to Hanyang and report to the court. What are you doing here? And what is that ridiculous beard?"
"Ridiculous...? We had our reasons."
Yang Ho-gun pressed down his peeling beard as he spoke.
"Our little brother Kang here slipped out for a look around while I waited, and he witnessed something terrifying."
"...I thought the whole 'big brother, little brother' routine was over?"
"It had better have been truly terrifying. Otherwise I'll sprinkle salt and chase you both out."
Yang Ho-gun had tried to lighten the mood and failed. He dropped the attempt at once and put on a serious face. To Ji-suk it looked even shakier than the joke, but what he said next was nothing to dismiss.
"Apparently a considerable force has made camp near the village. Fully armed, at that."
"That can't be... I thought it would take another month at least before they were armed..."
"I suspect it's because of Kang and myself."
Yang Ho-gun clicked his tongue. Sharp-eyed Hui-yeong would have suspected their identities and accelerated the timeline. And once Yang Ho-gun himself had fled, they had finished arming at once.
"Even if we rode to Hanyang now and reported the situation, we couldn't stop the rebels from rising. It would end in open war. The best course is to dismantle their forces here, now."
"There's no way that's possible..."
"It is possible. If Cheon-yeong cooperates."
Ji-suk wavered at the conviction in Yang Ho-gun's voice. But this was not a decision she could make alone.
"Explain it to Cheon-yeong yourself and ask for her help."
Ji-suk led them to Cheon-yeong's room.
The two men could not keep their mouths from falling open as they stepped inside. The spacious chamber was packed with shamanic ornaments and paintings of every kind; the objects seemed to occupy more space than a person could move through. It looked less like living quarters than a well-appointed storeroom. And there, lying down, was Cheon-yeong.
"Th-that's..."
Kang Geon-bok stammered at the sight of her, motionless as if asleep. There was something more shocking than the wounds on her exposed calves.
"Wait — why does that child have shackles on...?"
Thick shackles bound both of Cheon-yeong's ankles, linked by a short iron chain that looked painfully restrictive. Yang Ho-gun remembered how awkwardly the child had walked the day they first met.
"I used to be quite light on my feet, you know."
"Good heavens—"
Cheon-yeong's eyes had opened at some point, answering Yang Ho-gun's mutter. Ji-suk hurried over, helped her sit up, and pressed a cup of water into her hands.
The wounds on her legs must have hurt, but Cheon-yeong sat up without a flicker of concern, drained the cup slowly, and gestured to Yang Ho-gun and Kang Geon-bok.
"Sit. I should like to hear what scheme you've brought me."
"Well, I'll be. Does the Spirit tell you that sort of thing too?"
Yang Ho-gun grumbled, pretending he was not astonished by the insight that had grasped the situation in a single glance. Cheon-yeong clicked her tongue.
"I went to the trouble of helping you escape, and you came straight back. That means you've got a better idea than riding to Hanyang, which is why you crawled all the way here. Surely you didn't come back just to die."
"Sharp as ever, Divine Maiden..."
Yang Ho-gun was about to grumble further when Kang Geon-bok jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.
"Anyway... to put my plan into action, I need to confirm two things. First: do the rebels also worship the Spirit?"
"Worship? Of course they do. They were Hui-yeong's primary conversion targets. That's why they had to be managed so carefully."
"Then whose word do they follow more — Hui-yeong's, or the Divine Maiden's?"
Cheon-yeong nodded, her face saying she already knew what Yang Ho-gun's plan was.
"The Divine Maiden, of course. They believe that if they simply follow her word, the rebellion is guaranteed to succeed."
"Perfect."
Yang Ho-gun smiled with satisfaction. Kang Geon-bok and Ji-suk looked lost, but he paid them no mind and asked his next question — taking care not to let the unease coiled in his gut show on his face.
"Among those leading the rebels... is there anyone with the surname Hong?"
Cheon-yeong studied Yang Ho-gun's oddly tense expression, then nodded.
"There is. I heard Hui-yeong call the most radical among the leadership 'General Hong.'"
"Does he have a scar on his face?"
"Left cheek. A thin, long scar running from the jaw to the cheekbone — about two inches."
Yang Ho-gun closed his eyes, then opened them, and spoke with gravity.
"I know the man. That means I can predict how he'll move. Now, let me explain the plan."
He changed the subject before Cheon-yeong or Ji-suk could ask about his connection to the man. Only Kang Geon-bok sent him a brief, pitying glance.
"If the rebels depend on the Tree Spirit and the Divine Maiden, couldn't we use that to break their morale? Before they march, they'll surely seek the tree's blessing. Am I right?"
"They will."
"That's when you declare that this rebellion can never succeed — that they will all die in droves. Defectors will appear, and if we strike in the chaos, we can dismantle them efficiently."
They had gathered through faith, however false — so using faith to scatter them was the fastest way. And if it came from Cheon-yeong's own lips, whom they trusted even more than Hui-yeong, no method could be more effective.
Cheon-yeong did not deny it.
"And then?"
"And then?"
"What happens after the rebels are dismantled?"
"Well... things take their natural course. We capture the ringleaders, interrogate them, execute them..."
Yang Ho-gun had not honestly expected the question, and he fumbled. Cheon-yeong shook her head firmly.
"Not them. I'm asking if there's a way for the Il-yeong and me to get out safely. If I do as you say, Hui-yeong and Baek-yeong will go berserk. Can you protect us from them?"
"Mm. To be honest, I hadn't considered that part."
"Then I'll have a hard time cooperating. I've thought of your plan myself more than once."
Clever Cheon-yeong had conceived of that very plan from the moment Hui-yeong first made contact with the rebels. But that method alone could not get Ji-suk and herself out safely, so she had waited until now.
Even with what might be her first and last chance sitting right in front of her, Cheon-yeong stated her terms with ice-cold clarity.
"Just guarantee our safety. We'll manage on our own after that. We're risking our lives to help you — this much is the least you can do."
Only then did Yang Ho-gun understand with what resolve Cheon-yeong had reached out to him.
Why had the Il-yeong approached him so suddenly? Why had Baek-yeong suddenly beaten Cheon-yeong?
Cheon-yeong had been trying to create an opportunity through Yang Ho-gun — and she had accepted that Baek-yeong's rage would turn on her once Yang Ho-gun escaped. To get out of this place, the child had endured every kind of abuse, and now she was staking her life as well.
In his plan, Cheon-yeong's role was the most important and the most dangerous. To assign her that and offer nothing in return was simply unjust.
"A guarantee is hard. We're staking our lives too. But..."
He drew a mapae from his robes — the bronze medallion of a Secret Royal Inspector — and held it out.
Kang Geon-bok was stunned by Yang Ho-gun's words; Ji-suk, by Yang Ho-gun's true identity. But Cheon-yeong did not so much as glance at the medallion. She held Yang Ho-gun's gaze.
Then, at last, she nodded.
On the set, night shooting was in full swing. The actor waiting for the next scene found his mouth going dry.
I'm supposed to act in the middle of that?
Park Min-hyuk had come in hoping to steal the scene as a colorful supporting player. One look at the leads' performances, and that ambition lay in ruins.